A huge tidal power testing facility is looking to simulate decades of harsh sea conditions

An image of the £4.6 million FastBlade facility. Scotland has a long association with North Sea oil and gas production, but in recent years it’s also become a hub for companies and projects focused on tidal power and marine energy in general.

The $4.6 million facility that can test tidal turbine blades under strenuous conditions has been officially opened, with those behind it hoping it will accelerate the development of marine energy technology and lower costs.

The University of Edinburgh said at the end of last week that the site was the first rapid testing facility for tidal turbine blades.

The FastBlade facility would use a 75 metric ton reaction frame that could apply powerful forces on turbine blades more than 50 feet long.

A grant from the U.K. government backed FastBlade, a partnership between Babcock International and the university. The testing center is located in the town.

In less than three months, the university said, it would be able to conduct tests on blades using a system of powerful cylinders.

The world's first dedicated fatigue test facility will be called FastBlade.

He said it would help maintain the leading position of Scottish tidal turbine developers in the race to find sources of clean and secure power.

The FastBlade technology could be used to test wing components for aircraft and bridge sections, according to the University of Edinburgh.

Scotland has a long association with North Sea oil and gas production, but in recent years it has become a hub for companies and projects focused on tidal power and marine energy.

The most powerful tidal turbine in the world is being worked on by Nova Innovation and Orbital Marine Power.

The European Marine Energy Centre is located in the archipelago of Orkney, which is north of the Scottish mainland.

European installations of tidal and wave energy capacity jumped in 2021, as the ocean energy sector saw deployment return to pre-pandemic levels and a substantial increase in investment.

In March, Ocean Energy Europe said that 2.2 megawatts of tidal stream capacity was installed in Europe last year, compared to 260 kilowatts in 2020. OEE said that the installation of 681 kilowatts for wave energy was a threefold increase.

In the year 2021, 1.38 million watt of wave energy came online, while 3.12 million watt of tidal stream capacity was installed. Capacity is the maximum amount of electricity installations can produce. The footprint of tidal stream and wave projects is very small compared to other renewable sources.

Wind power capacity was installed in Europe in the year 2021, according to figures from WindEurope.